Wow! Are the results of the elections in Spain being overinterpreted! I am surprised at all the rhetoric that is being thrown around regarding whether or not it is a mandate on Aznar's commitment to US war in Iraq or whether or not it is a victory for al-Qaeda. Is there not a simpler explanation: Spaniards don't feel safer because of Aznar's policies(his conservative party was one or two percentage points ahead of the socialists in the last polls, a position that Aznar worked hard to achieve after the war). Certainly Zapatero's promise to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq will do nothing directly to improve internal Spanish security, and it is just as likely that Spain was a target because of weaknesses in security. Perhaps the involvement of the bombers themselves might be only indirectly related to the war in Iraq: if they were Moroccans, they could be manifesting historical animosity toward Spain.

[On edit] to summarize, Spain lost on Thursday. Events proved that they were no safer after collaborating with Bush policies. Sunday's election was but confirmation.